The Ukrainian army is still fighting in Bachmut, the eastern Ukrainian city that the Russians say they have ultimately captured.
Kyiv’s deputy defence minister Hanna Maljar says Ukrainians still control a portion of the city’s southwestern edge.
The Russians reported on Saturday that they had complete control of Bachmoet after months of heavy fighting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the city is “only in our hearts” because Russia has destroyed so much.
Soon after, Kyiv denied that the battle was over. Instead, the fighting would continue but is less intense in the city itself, Maljar said.
The deputy minister writes on Telegram that Ukraine is gaining territory around Bachmut. Russian Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who plays an essential role in the fighting for the city with his mercenary army, also said several times in recent weeks that the Russian army was retreating to the city’s flanks.
